Get the real deal on beauty treatments—real doctors, real reviews, and real photos with real results.Here's how we earn your trust.

See All Reviews
See All Reviews
POSTED UNDER Smart Lipo Reviews

Definitely Not a Lunchtime Procedure! - London

UPDATED FROM lulubel

It has been 9 days since I has the procedure and...

$12,000
It has been 9 days since I has the procedure and I'm not seeing much improvement yet. I'm not wearing the bandage anymore which is a huge relief and the little incision areas look like they have closed and healed nicely. Bit I'm still pretty tender on the hips and belly button area. The bruising is going now but the swelling is still there, it"s kind of hard and lumpy, so I feel as big as I did before the procedure which is pretty depressing. I was hoping to wear a certain outfit to my son's Grad but that's not going to happen.

 

Updated Nov 5, 2009

I wrote a review on this website when I first had the procedure done a year and a half ago. It was titled "Not a lunchtime procedure!". I was undecided at the time about weather or not it was worth it and thought I would wait and see. Now I can safely say, I am not happy with the end result.

I had the procedure done in the UK and it was very expensive, I paid 6,000 GBP and at the time a British pound was worth about 2 US dollars. I am left the same size as I was before, but I have lumps and bumps and cellulite galore. I will never be able to wear a two piece swimsuit and my stomach flab is more loose and jiggly than it was before the smartlipo.

I am now thinking of having traditional lipo with an American plastic surgeon, as soon as I find one that I trust, in an attempt to remove my love handles or "muffin top" and back fat once and for all. I figure that at least with traditional lipo, they'll remove enough fat that I will see some reduction in size. Maybe they can also improve the cellulite issue, I don't know. I haven't been for a consult in the US yet but I will do so soon.

As I mentioned in my previous review, I'm not comfortable with general anesthesia, which is one of the reasons I chose smartlipo (because it can be done quickly with just local freezing). But now I feel I need to do something much more invasive to fix the problems I have been left with, which is so disappointing.

Any advice on traditional lipo, done by top notch plastic surgeons in LA or surrounding areas, would be much appreciated.

lulubel's provider

Dr. Ayoubi, Hurlingham Clinic

0

I don't think he removed enough fat and I have lumps and way more cellulite now.

Replies (9)

Hi, i read your review, i found it to be very helpful. I have my appointment in 10 days, and i am very nervous, i am curious to know, because it's been longer now since you've had smart lipo now and since, from your review, i think i am going to the same doctor as you (hans place), if you see any improvement? results?positives signs that it worked? whats with the lumps and bumbs everybody is talking about, do you have any now?I am not from england either and in london for the same reasons you went. Thanks in advance...
Hi, I'm glad you found it helpful. Actually, things are looking much better now! It's been about 5 weeks and the swelling has gone down a lot and is continuing to reduce. I'm told it takes a full 3 months to see the results and I believe it. The lumps are fatty tissue and they do go away, it just takes a while. Mine are almost gone now and the tiny scars are almost invisible. Some people seem to get more lumps than others. And the lumps aren't visible if someone was to look at you, you can just feel them under the skin. Try not to be nervous, Smartlipo does work, it's just a procedure that requires patience (and I'm not so good at that). I honestly believe that the trade off of not going under a general anesthesia is worth having to wait a bit for results. And really there is no pain afterwards. I took a couple of regular strength Tylenols on the day of the procedure and that was it. I was tender for a couple of weeks but really nothing more than that. The actual procedure was hard for me because I didn't like the sensation of someone doing stuff under my skin, I found it really nerve racking. However, I think if I had had more of the valium (or whatever relaxant they used) then it would have been better. I didn't feel any effect from the one they gave me, so it probably wasn't enough. Try taking an iPod, it might help. Good for you for doing this. I don't think you"ll be disappointed. Let me know if you have any other questions. The H Clinic is very good. You're in good hands. NJ.
Thank you for your reply, my appointment is so soon, i will keep you updated, im sure i will have more questions. It is very reasuring to get a review like yours! Thanks again! I forgot to ask, what about cellulite? do you have any/do you see an improvement in that? i asked the dr and he said it appears smoother, but i aslo read that the fat that's been taken out with the laser is under the layer of cellulite, so the cellulite can only get worse...
Unfortunately, there has been no improvement whatsoever in the cellulite on my stomach and sides of my back (maybe I'm just a bit paranoid, but it seems a little worse). I never asked my doc about it, and I never heard about the cellulite improving or not improving, so I guess I'll have to wait and see. I'm sort of resigned to wearing a one-piece swimsuit for the rest of my life anyway, so the most important thing for me is my size, and not having a thick waist and tummy roll. So if I have cellulite on my tummy then so be it. I have cellulite on my legs, and I'd like to get those done in the near future but I want to see the final results on my torso first before going ahead with Smartlipo on any other body parts.
Hi, I am thinking of having the Smart Lipo procedure in London. Would it be possible for you to send me your London doctors details. Any good or bad stories would be gratefully received as I dont know how to find a good doctor. email is {edited contact information} many many thanks Editor note You must be contacted privately to receive the information you requested. Other users may contact you by clicking on your username. This requires free registration.

The Clinic I went to is posted on my review above. You could go to any one of the doctors there. It depends on who is available for the dates you wish to have it done. They are all highly qualified and have the necessary certifications etc. I also mentioned in another posting that you can go online to the website, they list approved clinics by area etc. Hope this info helps!

Nj your review is a brilliant insight into the procdure thankyou. How did you choose this clinic over any other in London can i ask what made you choose? I can't seem to find it have you got a link? Also Elbab please keep us updated on your experience. It would be great to keep upto date with how your doing. What areas are you having done? Hoping to have back of thigh, inner thigh and outer thigh done. Saved the funds just need to make that phonecall for the right clinic. Want to try and get it done around September time.
Hi emmalouisez, sorry for the delay, I've been away. I read two articles in london newspapers and one of them was a detailed account of a person's experience with Smartlipo at the Clinic I chose. It also happened to be located close to where I stay when I got to London. So I went for a consultation and I really liked the Doc I saw. He has a pleasant personality. (He also has a clinic on Harley St. but I didn't want to go there. Too far away.) All the doctors at the clinic are good. I read all their cv's and talked with the nurses about them so I would have been confident to go with just about any of them. I also found a good listing of UK clinics on a website called consultingroom.com I believe they only list clinics that are approved and operating with the proper licenses. That is where I found the link to the website for the clinic I went to. I would be very interested to know how it goes with your legs should you decide to go ahead with the procedure. I would like to have mine done but Im still not 100 percent convinced that the results justify the rather large expense. So far the results are nice but very slight. Not a drastic change. I was actually thinking that it might have been better to do a combination of traditional Lipo and then Smartlipo to smooth it our if necessary. I don't even know if that's possible. I'm so fearful of the risks, recovery and pain associated with traditional Lipo that I don't think I could bring myself to do it. I just think it might be a better option for my legs because it's a larger amount a fat I'd like removed. Sorry, I'm rambling here. Let me know if you have any other questions. I would also like to hear from Elbab as to how it went!
try MicroCannular Lipo. its the lastest technology and its bloody amazing. see my profile . i had my stomach and flanks done last monday and i look great!!! still sore but no bruising what so ever. I saw Dr Gupta in Harley st, London
ORIGINAL POST

I have been reading the comments on this website...

I have been reading the comments on this website and thought I should post my review. The more info out there the better to prepare people.

I live in Switzerland but they don't do SmartLipo here yet, so I went to London, England in order to have it done. It is a bit more expensive there but my PS was very experienced, he has performed SmartLipo on over 600 patients in the past 2 years. Cosmetic Surgery and lasers have always been his specialty, so SmartLipo for him was a natural thing to specialize in. I felt that I was in good hands just a bit unprepared for the fact that it is a serious surgery and not quite as easy to have done as people would have you think.

I originally read about my Doctor and the SmartLipo procedure in a magazine article (it was a quality publication) and I have to say, the description was fairly accurate. The only thing I wasn't prepared for was the pain during the procedure. I really thought it would be painless. I have been told I have a high pain threshold but maybe it has changed over the years.

I was given a valium and 2 Paracetemol (which is the UK equivalent of Tylenol) before the procedure. I nearly passed out when the local anesthesia was put in. I sort of got used to it, but it was not pleasant at all. Kind of a lot of tugging which I found psychologically a bit difficult to handle. It was especially sensitive in the lower abdominal area. I had four areas done: lower abs, upper abs, back of the hips/waist, and sides of back below the bra strap. I had no pain for the hip area but had a tough time with the abs and sides.

Once the local was done, I felt no pain for the actual laser part of the procedure, that part was a total breeze! But then I had suction which I found difficult and painful as well. I had four areas done in about 2.5 hours.

Despite the discomfort of the procedure I was really glad not to have had a general anesthetic, I hate trying to come out of those. I was glad to be able to walk out of the clinic feeling alert and glad it was over, but I was totally exhausted.

I had the procedure on June 10th and I flew back to Switzerland on the 13th. I am feeling OK now but I'm still pretty swollen and I have a fair bit of bruising on my hips. How come some people have bruising and some don't? I'm wondering if I'm being too active too soon. And how long before the swelling is really gone?

I also hate the compression bandage. The doctor said I only have to wear it for 7 to 10 days but most people on this site say 2 weeks. Does it really help to wear it longer? My belly button is pretty sore and my skin is itchy which is hard to ignore. I think the itchyness is from the bandage.

I think the results will be good in the end but its hard to tell at the moment. After reading some of the bad results people have mentioned on this site, I'm more than a little nervous! But I'd like to thank everyone for posting their experiences. It's really helpful and supportive.
NJ.

Replies (0)

See More Smart Lipo Reviews
See All Reviews